Zigler Reboot

Last July, the Zigler Museum in Jennings closed its doors, specifically, the doors of the home donated in the 1970s by Ruth and Fred Zigler along with approximately twenty works of art the couple had collected. The museum had operated out of the home for forty-five years before it was determined, two and a half years ago, that a relocation was in order.

The museum now shares space with City Hall in an older structure renovated to accommodate offices on one side and the museum on the other. Melissa Daly, hired in May to serve as the museum's new executive director, managed the move and will also oversee the larger effort, defined by the board of trustees, to bring the museum's operations up to national standards and to refocus the collection on Louisiana art and artists. Currently, the collection consists of a broad range of styles and media: everything from impressionism to wildlife dioramas.

Daly is the museum's only full-time staff member, but she did hire part-time curator Lisa Lynch to handle exhibitions and acquisitions. The museum's first exhibition following the move, titled Zigler Rebooted: A New Approach to Old Favorites, launched on January 8. As Lynch explained, the exhibition shows "the range of work in the collection" and reinforces "the many connections we have [among] the artists and works of art within the collection." For example, there is a painting by Newcomb pottery founder Ellsworth Woodward exhibited alongside two pieces of Newcomb pottery—one owned by Zigler and the other on loan from the Hilliard Museum. These, in turn, are displayed next to sculpture by Woodward's student, Angela Gregory.

Lynch explained that the scope of periods, styles, and themes in the show will likely not be repeated. While it was common in the past for Zigler to display its entire collection all at once, in the future, Lynch will only use pieces from the permanent collection in service of highlighting specific themes, traveling exhibitions, or in curating the work of living artists.

Rebooted will be on view through April during the museum's hours: Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Free for active members; $5 for adults; $4 for seniors; and $2 for children 6 to 12 years of age.